Buyer Research

2010 Nissan Maxima — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $5,000–$9,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 13 Nissan Maxima years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Second year of the seventh-generation Maxima, the 290-hp VQ V6 with a CVT, and a record that is almost entirely one part: 86% of 275 complaints — the steering and electrical clusters together — are the electronic steering column lock failing and leaving the car unable to start, with a yellow key light on the dash and a $1,000-plus dealer bill. It does not happen while driving; it happens in a parking lot, and it strands you. Nissan covered the 2009 for it and owners of 2010s were told theirs was not included, so ask a dealer about this VIN rather than assume. The rest is the strut-insulator recall, cracked springs and struts, and a CVT that whines before it dies. Buy one whose lock has already been replaced or bypassed and whose CVT is quiet at 50 mph, and you get a fast, handsome sedan for very little; buy one with the original lock and budget for the day it fails.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 275 owner complaints for the 2010 Nissan Maxima, and 1 recall campaign.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 57% of them are about one thing — steering. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

One recall campaign covers this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2010 Nissan Maxima

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Electronic steering column lock fails — car will not start, yellow key light, towed to a dealerHigh — wallet impact

Two clusters, one part: 158 steering and 79 electrical complaints describe the Electronic Steering Column Lock (ESCL) refusing to release, so the push-button start does nothing, the accessories stay dead and a yellow key-shaped light sits on the dash. It strikes at 31,000 miles and at 50,000, in driveways and store car parks, and dealers charge $1,000–$1,400 to replace the lock unit. Nissan ran a campaign on the 2009 and many 2010 owners were told their year was excluded; ask a Nissan dealer whether this VIN carries any extended coverage before you pay. Independent shops and some owners instead fit a bypass that removes the lock's role in starting for a fraction of the price — ask which, if either, has been done. On the test drive, shut the car off and restart it three or four times; every hesitation on the button is information.

Repair cost (estimate): $700–$1,400 at a dealer for the lock unit; $50–$250 for an ESCL bypass at an independent shop

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (158), electrics and electronics (79).

Front strut insulators can crack (recall 09V358); broken coil springs, worn struts and sway-bar linksMedium

Recall 09V358 covers 2009–2010 Maximas: the upper front strut insulators were made out of specification and can crack, and a cracked insulator can let the strut rod leave its mount — Nissan's word is stability. The remedy is both insulators, free. Twenty-nine suspension complaints on this year, one a crash: a popping noise over bumps, a rattle from the passenger side that turned out to be both springs on that side broken at 54,900 miles, and shops advising struts and sway-bar links. Confirm the recall on the VIN, then bounce each front corner and drive over a rough patch with the radio off; a clunk or pop at the top of the strut tower is the insulator or a spring.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $600–$1,400 for struts, springs and links

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the suspension (29); 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

CVT whines, gets loud under acceleration, then failsMedium

Fifteen power train complaints, and the ones owners describe in the samples follow the Jatco CVT's usual path: a whine that grows louder over months, a rough, loud pull from a stop up to about 55 mph, then a transmission that is done. On a 3.5L Maxima that is a $3,000–$5,000 replacement, which is a large share of the car's value. Rated medium because fifteen reports is not a fleet-wide pattern on this year, but the money is real. Drive it with the windows up and the radio off; a steady whine that rises with road speed rather than engine speed is the transmission, and dark, burnt-smelling CVT fluid on the dipstick is the confirmation. Ask whether the fluid has ever been changed with Nissan's NS-2.

Repair cost (estimate): $3,000–$5,000 — around 71% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (15).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Yellow key light on the dash, or a start button that needs a second press
✗Seller who says the car sometimes will not start but is fine once it does
✗A pop or clunk from the front over bumps
✗A whine that rises with road speed on the test drive
✗Dark or burnt-smelling CVT fluid

Good Signs

✓Steering lock unit replaced, or an ESCL bypass fitted, with a receipt
✓Recall 09V358 shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Front struts and springs replaced with an invoice
✓CVT fluid changed with Nissan NS-2 and documented
✓Four clean restarts in a row on the test drive